Priestly Celibacy
It's that forum I hang out on again. The topic of priestly celibacy has come up and the more I think about it the madder I get. I won't quote what's been said but I would like to adress the recurring themes I hear in this recurring conversation that I have with Protestant Believers who have "issues" with priestly celibacy. Why? Well I don't think I can say these things in that particular conversation and if I don't say them somewhere I am just going to explode and this is my blog so I'll say it if I want to....
First. Yes, I know Peter was married. Yes, I believe Peter was the first pope. That does not mean that the RCC has ever believed or taught that every single solitary aspect of Peter's life should be imitated in perpetuity. For instance, we really think that whole denying of Jesus three time things is something we should not seek to emulate. Although being married clearly does not fall into the same category as betraying Christ, it does not necessarily follow that it means we are required to accept his life choice as dogma.
Second. Yes I know the "husband of one wife" verse. Even as a Protestant, I never interpreted that verse as a positive requirement to marry. I have always wondered if the same people who attempt to bludgeon me with that verse over the priestly celibacy issue would fire a pastor if he was widowed? Or require a young youth pastor to marry in haste in order to qualify for a position? I suppose there might be denominations like that but when you get right down to it, doesn't it make sense that it would mean 'no more than one wife'? Especially in light of other scriptures and the words of our Lord himself?! To save time, I am just going to cut and paste from Scripture Catholic (scroll down the page to section IV):
Matt. 19:11-12 - Jesus says celibacy is a gift from God and whoever can bear it should bear it. Jesus praises and recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church. Because celibacy is a gift from God, those who criticize the Church's practice of celibacy are criticizing God and this wonderful gift He bestows on His chosen ones.
Matt. 19:29 - Jesus says that whoever gives up children for the sake of His name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. Jesus praises celibacy when it is done for the sake of His kingdom.
Matt. 22:30 - Jesus explains that in heaven there are no marriages. To bring about Jesus' kingdom on earth, priests live the heavenly consecration to God by not taking a wife in marriage. This way, priests are able to focus exclusively on the spiritual family, and not have any additional pressures of the biological family (which is for the vocation of marriage). This also makes it easier for priests to be transferred to different parishes where they are most needed without having to worry about the impact of their transfer on wife and children.
1 Cor 7:1 – Paul teaches that it is well for a man not to touch a woman. This is the choice that the Catholic priests of the Roman rite freely make.
1 Cor. 7:7 - Paul also acknowledges that celibacy is a gift from God and wishes that all were celibate like he is.
1 Cor. 7:27 – Paul teaches men that they should not seek marriage. In Paul’s opinion, marriage introduces worldly temptations that can interfere with one’s relationship with God, specifically regarding those who will become full-time ministers in the Church.
1 Cor. 7:32-33, 38 - Paul recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church so that they are able to focus entirely upon God and building up His kingdom. He “who refrains from marriage will do better.”
1 Tim. 3:2 - Paul instructs that bishops must be married only once. Many Protestants use this verse to prove that the Church's celibacy law is in error. But they are mistaken because this verse refers to bishops that were widowers. Paul is instructing that these widowers could not remarry. The verse also refers to those bishops who were currently married. They also could not remarry (in the Catholic Church's Eastern rite, priests are allowed to marry; celibacy is only a disciplinary rule for the clergy of the Roman rite). Therefore, this text has nothing to do with imposing a marriage requirement on becoming a bishop.
1 Tim. 4:3 - in this verse, Paul refers to deceitful doctrines that forbid marriage. Many non-Catholics also use this verse to impugn the Church's practice of celibacy. This is entirely misguided because the Catholic Church (unlike many Protestant churches) exalts marriage to a sacrament. In fact, marriage is elevated to a sacrament, but consecrated virginity is not. The Church declares marriage sacred, covenantal and lifegiving. Paul is referring to doctrines that forbid marriage and other goods when done outside the teaching of Christ and for a lessor good. Celibacy is an act of giving up one good (marriage and children) for a greater good (complete spiritual union with God).
1 Tim. 5:9-12 - Paul recommends that older widows take a pledge of celibacy. This was the beginning of women religious orders.
2 Tim. 2:3-4 - Paul instructs his bishop Timothy that no soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim his to satisfy the One who enlisted him. Paul is using an analogy to describe the role of the celibate priesthood in the Church.
Rev. 14:4 - unlike our sinful world of the flesh, in heaven, those consecrated to virginity are honored.
Isaiah 56:3-7 - the eunuchs who keep God's covenant will have a special place in the kingdom of heaven.
Jer. 16:1-4 - Jeremiah is told by God not to take a wife or have children.
But what really bugs me, what is just setting my hair on fire is the attitude that celibacy is a discipline "imposed" on priests. First, that just mocks the voluntary and loving sacrifice that they have made to better serve the faithful. Nobody is forced to be a priest. Nobody gets them drunk or knocks them on the head only to have them wake up the next morning and be told that they made a vow of celibacy while they were unconscious. The Catholic Church is not shang hai'ing men into the priesthood. Second, to question the vow of celibacy taken by men who enter the priesthood is to treat them like children incapable of making up their own mind. Just like the Catholic Church isn't giving Rohypnol to unsuspecting Roman Catholic men and telling them in the morning that they made a vow of celibacy, they don't let 5 year olds into the priesthood either. The process is long and there are plenty of obstacles in the way. Men who enter the priesthood will tell you that they had to work hard for the privilege of making those vows and that plenty of people along the way tried to talk sense into them and put obstacles in their way to make sure the decision was made with care and prayer and much deliberation.
Lastly, why does it seem to me that the most vocal critics of priestly celibacy are those on whom it isn't imposed? Why does it seem to rankle those who aren't Catholic or those who have no intention of entering the priesthood even if they could marry? I would just like to point out that the discipline of preistly celibacy is imposed on priests by priests (bishops) who have taken that same vow. They must think there is some deeper benefit! Don't ya think?
When the priests themselves start telling me that priestly celibacy doesn't help them pastor their flocks more effectively THEN I think we'll have reason to re-think the whole matter.
New Advent has an article which discusses the reasons and history behind the discipline of priestly celibacy. In case you want something more substantive than my venting.
Edit: I blogged about the comments to this post here.
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It is even more interesting when Hoge breaks it down by age group. The younger priests are generally supportive of mandatory celibacy. The older priests, who presumably have been in the priesthood longer, overwhelmingly want it to be optional. And, interestingly enough, this correlates with the studies on priests who violate their celibacy vows which have found that most priests enter into sexual relationships around the age of 50. Why? The initial enthusiasm for their vocation wears off and loneliness sets in, or frustration with the hierarchy, or whatever...The Church is supposed to be figuring out how to address this burnout as a human resources issue but due to the shortage of priests, it really doesn't do so and more and more men drop out and some get married.
Meanwhile, vocations continue to be inadequate to meet demand, parishes are merging or closing, and in some parts of the world, Catholics may go for months without seeing a priest. Admitting married men into the priesthood would go a long way to addressing this problem because, even if you talk about letting lay people and married deacons do as much as they can, canon law does not permit us to perform certain functions, especially and most importantly, celebrating the Eucharist and absolving sins under normal circumstances.
The Church already has married priests admitted under the so-called "Pastoral Provision." These ex-Episcopalian and ex-Lutheran men are serving with their wives, children, and grandchildren. To me, it is highly ironic and difficult to justify theologically or practically that the Church would accept these convert married priests into the Roman Catholic priesthood while not allowing our own married men to become priests.
This issue is near and dear to my heart as a laywoman worshipping in a parish that has been staffed by a series of part-time priests for over a decade because we are considered too small to merit a full-time priest of our own. It's stressful when only the most basic spiritual needs are being met and barely so. I can't help but wonder if things would be different were mandatory celibacy to end.
Rebel Girl (yep! that really is my online name. Funny, isn't it?) (Comment this)
I am certainly open to hearing what the priests themselves have to say about priestly celibacy but the priesthood is FAR larger than simply the United States and even our own 21st century prejudices. This study doesn't even adress the international aspect of the priesthood much less the aspects that are outside of time. (Comment this)
* Canberra, Aug. 23, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Bishop Pat Power, an auxiliary of the Canberra, Australia diocese, has indicated his support for an end to mandatory clerical celibacy...
* The Spanish Catholic magazine 21rs has just published a study of 751 Spanish priests conducted by university professor Luis Fernando Vílchez Martín....When asked what their major problem was, few priests complained about poverty. However, 37.2% identified solitude as a major problem and a further 19.8% identified affection as an issue. 7.2% were troubled by not being allowed to have children. Sexuality was considered a problem by 6.5% of respondents. When asked about celibacy, 52.7% said it should be optional. NOTE: This was my summary of the findings. The original article in Spanish (2007) is here: http://21rs.es/index.php?to=contenido&id=193
*Survey of Australian priests' finds 71% question compulsory celibacy (Catholic News, Sept. 2004)
A yet-to-be released report to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has found that 55% of priests in Australia believe that optional, rather than obligatory celibacy would be appropriate for priests in the Catholic Church. A further 16% of priests said that obligatory celibacy has had a negative impact.
Today's issue of Online Catholics says the report, which was presented to the ACBC Board of management two weeks ago, is a major analysis of the Catholic Church Life Survey (CCLS) of priests in parish ministry conducted in May 2001. ...The finding that 71% of respondents have a negative view of the obligation of celibacy is in accord with recently released work from overseas. Last week in the United States, a 53 diocese study revealed that 67% priests surveyed want optional celibacy discussed.
(http://www.cathnews.com/news/409/163.php)
* Majority of Catholic priests in Poland want to marry
By IANS
Monday February 5, 05:59 PM
Warsaw, Feb 5 (DPA) Sixty percent of Roman Catholic priests in overwhelmingly Catholic Poland want the right to marry and have families of their own.
As times change and the social status of and respect for the priesthood declines, more and more priests who feel lonely, isolated and misunderstood are considering leaving the priesthood, according to a survey published by Poland's respected Tygodnik Powszechny (TP) weekly which caters for Poland's Catholic intelligentsia.
Source of English summary of article: http://in.news.yahoo.com/070205/43/6bt9v.html
*Belgian priests back end to celibacy rule
Brussels, Dec. 6, 2006 (CWNews.com) - Nearly 80% of the priests in Belgium’s Flemish region support the admission of married men to the Catholic clergy, according to poll results appearing in the newspapers Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg. (http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=48052)
These are just some of the surveys that I've come across within this year, Red Neck Woman. It goes on and on. I'm not gonna bother to list more statements from individual bishops, priests, scholars, and theologians.
Nor the am I going to list the surveys and statements by Catholic laity which overwhelmingly support married priests. Well, maybe this one:
According to the most recent (2006) Le Moyne College/Zogby International Poll Contemporary Catholic Trends survey, 64% of American Catholics who describe themselves as regular Mass attenders favor allowing priests to marry. That number rises to 81% among Catholics who attend Mass less than once a month. (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1200)
Rebel Girl
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